Forests roles & climate change / biodiversity : France / Sweden comparison Erasmus Project

Project Title

Forests roles & climate change / biodiversity : France / Sweden comparison

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions; Environment and climate change

Project Summary

Forests play an important role in the development of the territory but in the context of the changing climate, they are bound to evolve and to be confronted with unforeseen biological events : migration of species, appearance of new pathogens, increase in the pressure of wildlife, increased forest fires… foresters must change their practises, adapt and take these parameters into account in their managment choices. Of course, this development cannot be done without educating and training future generations of forest professionals.
Based on this observation, two forestry vocational high schools joined forces to write this project

– the Lyce du bois vocational high school, specialised in woodworking and eco-construction in Envermeu (Normandy-France)
– The Munkagardgymnasiet located in Tvaaker (Halland, Sweden)
These two schools have been partners for more than five years. They participated in the SILVAforum project (KA2 : exchange of good practices on education in the forest) and in the SAWMILL training project (KA1 : quality and classification of wood).
During these two projects, the partners realized that if the forests managment were different in France and in Sweden, they could also be complementary : we have a lot to learn from each other.

Thus, this project aims to discover how to adapt our forests to climate change : to compare the management methods of the two countries and to take from the experiences of the other. Practices such as agroforestry, un-even aged stands, maintenance of ecological continuity, the implementation of sustainable forest management documents illustrate this approach. It is necessary for teachers to integrate these practices into their course and transmit this awareness of social and ecological issues.
– training and practicing activities for teachers and students are planned in mobility.
– a background work is planned between mobilities to learn these new management methods. It will be done in high school and remotely (collaboration between a French forest class and two groups of Swedish forestry and landscaping students)
The expected formal objectives are an increase in the professional skills of teachers and students and a transfer to companies in the sector.

These two high schools are also located in rural and areas. Students are afraid with mobility. This project also aims to bring our learners closer to mobility. Our non-formal objectives are:
– increase everyone’s language skills
– allow an open-mindedness to another culture and a Euro-citizenship feeling

Productions by teachers and students are expected:
– new teaching tools incorporating these new practices, created and shared
– an exhibition in English/French/Swedish
– production of photos and videos available on the websites and Facebook pages
– the project will end with a joint presentation of the activities and results, carried out in public and broadcast on the internet, especially on the E-Twinning platform

The main expected impacts are :
– better professionalism of teachers in terms of technical and use of modern teaching tools, heightened knowledge of the dynamics of natural forest ecosystems
– increase in the employability of students, future professionals
– transmitting good practices to professionals about sustainable forest management
– closer links between the two high schools (new partnerships, new exchanges of practices, internships of students…)

In the longer term, we want these good management practices to become more widespread in order to fight against global warming and to continue to consider the uses of forests, ecological, economic or societal.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 60022 Eur

Project Coordinator

EPLEFPA de Seine-Maritime & Country: FR

Project Partners

• Munkagårdsgymnasiet